Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, stroke volumes (integrated mean of the flow waveform between the current upstroke and the dicrotic notch) and total peripheral resistances (ratio of mean arterial pressure to stroke volume multiplied by heart rate) were evaluated at the beginning of the session and then every 30 minutes using a Finometer© finger beat-to-beat monitor (Finapres Medical Systems BV, Arnhem, The Netherlands). Finometer© measures finger blood pressure noninvasively on a beat-to-beat basis and gives waveform measurements similar to intra-arterial recordings.